Come Closer

Chapter 25

The room was brightly lit, showing off its luxurious furniture and the complicated painting on the wall, which showed a battlefield with the warriors engaged in fierce duels, and with the bodies of horses and men with golden and black armors and their discarded bloodied weapons laid on the blood soaked crimson ground.

The thick, maroon velvet curtains were closed, hiding the room from the devious eyes. On another wall, a map of the area was shown covered in red and blue pins. In front of the wall, was an ebony table, with files and documents neatly arranged at one of its sides. Two people were sitting on the opposite sides, Avelyn at the head, and Nathan in front of her.

“Five failures in three months” Nathan stated. “And serious injuries for ten men.”

Avelyn nodded. “The frequency is not affordable.” She massaged her temples.

“This has been happening since you met Jayden.”

Avelyn looked up at Nathan, but he wasn’t going to back down now. The matter was too serious to be neglected. “I’m not saying we didn’t have failures before. But the number of failed missions has increased in these three months.” He tapped the table with his index finger, emphasizing his point. “We must do something.”

“What do you suggest?” Avelyn asked.

“I think we should confront Jayden about this. He must have known about this.”

“I don’t think so. If he wanted to destroy us, why wait for this long? He could have killed me when he had captured me, and tortured our men and brought you down.”

“Hmm….” Nathan nodded. “If it isn’t him…then someone is watching us!”

Nathan and Avelyn could feel goosebumps rising on their skins. When what they both doubted was out and clear, it ignited the charcoal of fear in them. Avelyn’s pupils dilated. “If he is watching us, he must have been watching Jayden too.”

Nathan nodded. “We must take action.”

……………

“Do you know this person?” Nathan interrogated the confused guard. “Yes, boss. He is my neighbor.”

“Since when?”

The guard frowned. “I think he moved in two months ago, boss.”

“Do you know anything about him?”

The guard shook his head. “I don’t know, boss. He is so secretive. I have barely seen him coming out of the house.”

“Hmm. You can go now.” Nathan dismissed the guard.

“Should I keep an eye on him, boss?” The guard asked, before turning away.

Nathan smiled at him. “No, forget that I asked this from you.” His smile vanished as soon as the guard closed the door. ‘I should investigate this by myself’ He took his gun from the drawer, and went out.

………………………………

“He works for Jayden?” Avelyn’s voice carried disappointment.

Nathan shrugged. “He SEEMES like he works for Jayden. But there is something suspicious about him. In the day, he works at Jayden’s, but at night, he doesn’t linger with Jayden’s men. He takes frequent visits out of town. I don’t know the exact location of the destination of his night visits. He hides his trail expertly. No matter how many times I tried to follow him, all it takes him to vanish out of my sight is taking one turn. He knows the ins and outs of the city like the back of his hands. We should be more careful.”

Avelyn nodded. “We must catch this one. Does he have any contact with the others?” Nathan shook his head in reply. “Just work based ones. He doesn’t mingle with anyone.”

“Shall I drag him here?”

“I don’t think that it’s THAT easy. After all, he works for Jayden, pretense or not. Offending Jayden is not a good move in this matter.”

Avelyn smirked. “Oh no, Nathan. I won’t offend him.”

Nathan’s eyebrows shot up. “I know that smirk. What are you going to do?”

Avelyn stood up to leave. “Leave this to me Nathan. I’ll bring the filthy mutt to your feet.”

………………………….

Avelyn got out of the sleek black car, which was pulled up in front of the mansion. Her long black dress swayed in the wind with each step she took up the stairs, adding to the dark aura which surrounded her. She didn’t have any trouble entering the mansion, as the guards recognized her as their master’s ally.

She barged through the doors of Jayden’s office, making him startled. “Avelyn! What are you doing here?” He asked, confusion dancing on his face. Avelyn didn’t utter a word. Her black heels clicked on the tiled floor as she strode towards him. She threw the file on his desk, and sat across the table, placing her one leg over the other. Jayden stared at her, as he couldn’t decipher the purpose of her visit. He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, and the two men who were inside the room, who were flabbergasted by the sudden thick air created, walked out, closing the door behind them.

“What is this Avelyn?” Jayden took the file in his hands. He looked through the pages quickly, and glared at Avelyn. “Why are you collecting information on this man? He works for me.”

Avelyn smirked. “So you think.”

Jayden frowned at that. “What do you mean?”

“He is working for someone else. Nathan has followed him for some time now. He visits someone in secret. We don’t know why, or whom he meets. Since when is he working for you?”

Jayden opened his laptop and looked through the details of his men. “Approximately, for four months.”

Avelyn nodded several times. “Has there been any failed missions or attacks?”

It was Jayden’s turn to nod now. “Yes, there have been several attacks in the last two months. I thought that’s odd too.”

“Someone has been watching our every move. Ever since this man entered the city, there have been losses for both of us.”

“He is targeting us.” Jayden whispered. The silence spread in the room for a few minutes.

“I want him.” Avelyn declared.

“No. I’ll question him.”

Jayden and Avelyn may be friends, but when it comes to their possessions, they become greedy. Their egos don’t allow them to back down for anyone. However, Avelyn knows all too well that Jayden has a soft spot for her.

“But he has cost me a lot.”

“So he has from me too.”

“I’m the one who found the information on this little thief.”

“But he works for me. So he is mine.”

“Technically, he doesn’t work for you. He is PRETENDING that he is working for you. So he doesn’t belong to you.”

Jayden’s eyebrow twitched. He racked his brain trying to find a comeback, but failed miserably. “Okay! Take him! But I want to know every detail of it.” He threw his hands up in frustration.

“Of course lil bro. Don’t throw a tantrum when I’m gone!” Avelyn started walking out, earning a scoff from Jayden. On a sudden thought, she turned around. “You can come too, if you want.”